Microsoft Drops Price Of Xbox One Once Again

Despite taking the crown as the winner of the previous-gen console wars, Microsoft has struggled to consolidate with the Xbox One. Having been outsold by the PlayStation 4 for the most part since their respective arrivals towards the end of 2013, the software giant’s decision to cut the price to just $349 a few months back prompted a receptive response from the gaming community with strong sales last November, and as such, the Windows maker has once again slashed the cost of its flagship console.

The fact that the PlayStation 4 is slightly more powerful than the Xbox One may have swayed a few purists early on in the day, but that’s not the only reason why the sequel to the Xbox 360 hasn’t been as strong as Microsoft would have hoped. In fact, the original announcement, which focused on entertainment rather than gaming prowess, did its cause no favors whatsoever, and it’s generally perceived that the initial bundling of the Kinect sensor as standard was a major gaffe as well.

But since offering the console without Kinect – a move that cut the retail price considerably – Microsoft also made a further reduction as a holiday gift during the closing stages of 2014, and having pushed more units than Sony during the price crash, the Xbox One finds itself selling for $349 once more.

Microsoft is painting this as some kind of promotion, so it’s not clear as to whether the revised price will be temporary or indeed permanent. At this point, we don’t know whether this is a U.S.-only offer or if other nations will be joining, but if you are a gamer in the United States, then you will be able to snap up the Xbox One at this pre-Christmas price.

The original price of the Xbox One, which released just over a year ago, was 500 bucks, and while $349 sounds like a major adjustment, you don’t get the Kinect peripheral with this new cheaper configuration.

Still, with Microsoft looking to make up ground after a strong first year from Sony and the PlayStation 4, a $50 saving isn’t going to do the company any harm at all, and if you missed the holiday season bonanza, now’s your chance to snag an Xbox One on the cheap.

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I didn’t think for a second the price would go back up. They make a lot of poor choices, but they wouldn’t shoot themselves in the leg like that.

dray

What’s these so called “entertainment” features they focused on? I don’t game anymore but it may be a worthy addition to my home entertainment setup.

Porn 2B Alive

it’s great for porn

Anjospot

Nah. I am looking at PS4, still. 🙂

Anjospot

Wow, you are so lonely. Find a new person — mr. right or mrs. right, will you?! SIGHING.

William Thomas Mitchell

I have both, and I honestly don’t even use my launch PS4 anymore. It looks like on paper that it’s more powerful, but the games look straight up identical in normal use.

The TV-passthrough, XBOX Live service, DLNA support, and Kinect controls are all killer features. The PS4 has more support for some things though, like the controllers being rechargeable being standard, the 3.5mm audio passthrough through the controller with (simulated) 7.1 surround support are way better than what XBOX offers right now, but the slightly better hardware leaves a lonely and boring interface. I can’t stream anything from my computer, or even play videos from an external device. I can’t control my TV or audio receiver with it, I can’t watch TV with it, it doesn’t even have Flash support to watch literally any web videos or listen to web based audio streaming sites. The list of what it can’t do just really makes it feel like a crippled box.

I moved three weeks ago, and the PS4 is still sitting in a box in the closet, and I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything. Plus if you’re really in to gaming at all and follow MLG or other pro gaming circuits, straight up NOBODY uses the PS4, everyone uses XBO. Just my two cents, and I bought the PS4 a solid year before the XBO, all the while singing the praises of the PS4 over the XBO from specs alone. Sony has given pretty much nothing in way of support for known issues, and even less in additional features in over a year. The PS3 library we were promised is now a rental service with ridiculously high rates (I think to play a game for like a week is more than buying it from GameStop used). I’ll probably whip it back out for Kingdom Hearts 3 if it ever comes out, but until then, it will collect dust with my Wii U and 3DS.

Matthew Rudling

The fact that your nintendo consoles are collecting dust says a lot. The 3ds has the best games at the moment – only use my Xbox 360 for skyrim and call of duty.

Slap of Reality

The fact that you’re only using your XBox 360 for just Skyrimjob and Call of Duty says a lot. It tells us that your mommy hasn’t made enough money at her part time job at Subway to buy a next gen console for little Matthew. Oh well.

Porn 2B Alive

I’m married with a wife who loves porn as much as I do and we have 4 kids already.

Does it hurt to be so wrong? I guess all this does is prove who the lonely one really is (pointing at you)…

Matthew Rudling

Next generation is a waste of money right now. Your mommy will obviously do anything to keep you in the basement.

ChenoaCorkseki

what George replied I am amazed that any one can profit $6563 in four weeks on the internet . navigate to this website